ELECTRONIC-STRUCTURE OF AG NANOPARTICLES DEPOSITED ON SI(100)

Nanosize silver particles were prepared by argon ion sputtering of an island-like silver film deposited by pulsed laser evaporation onto Si( 1 0 0). The changes in the electronic structure related to particle si ze were observed by photoelectron spectroscopy during sputtering. The changes in the valence band induced by size reduction were dominated b y a strong decrease in the lowest binding energy peak of the Ag 4d ban d, while other structures at higher binding energies remained unchange d. This redistribution of the d-states in the valence band seems to be common for noble metal nanoparticles. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.